[Ralph]

I chose a mid motor design for my wife, who recently had a knee replacement, because it put the extra weight of the Bosch motor in the middle and down low. I thought it would be better for balance and handling for her. So hers is called mid motor design. Hers is E assist only with 4 levels of assist....Econ, Tour, Sport, and Turbo. Haven't seen a mid motor you can ride throttle only, but maybe they make them, don't know.

I have seen some very powerful rear hub powered E bikes, and some you can operate with throttle only....no pedaling. While I prefer the mid motor design.....for where it puts the weight.....being able to go throttle only might be nice occasionally. E bikes now come in many varieties, with many different power systems.

EDIT addition....BTW.....You cannot pedal my wife's 250 watt E bike past about 19 or so MPH (I have tried....the motor just shuts down)....no matter how much you dial the assist up. It may go faster than that down hill coasting.....but it won't have E power. And it's geared to not go much faster than than (38X11). And I have seen E bikes that are kinda like mini motorcycles and will go much faster than my wife's bike. Did about 20 miles with her today (in this heat) on a smooth almost deserted paved trail....and she cruised along at 15-16 real easy, with her new knee.